August 21, 2024
Since the vast scale of the U.S. bond market, its well-established financial market mechanisms, and excellent liquidity, U.S. Treasury bonds are considered a safe investment tool. As for corporate bonds, the market value of companies listed in the U.S. accounts for nearly half of the global market.
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Bond Investment Basics Series
How should one start investing in bonds? Is it good to buy bonds?
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How to Understand Bond Yield?
There are four types of bond interest rates: Coupon Rate, Current Yield, Yield to Maturity (YTM), and Yield to Call (YTC).
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How to Profit from Investing in Bonds?
There are two main ways to profit from investing in bonds: fixed income (interest income + repayment of principal at maturity) and capital gains (price difference).
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Advantages and Risks of Investing in Bonds
Bonds, depending on their maturity period and risk level, offer varying returns. For instance, a typical medium-term investment-grade bond might yield an annualized return of about 3% to 6% (the yield is influenced by the current benchmark interest rate and the bondโs risk level). In the long term, the overall return is usually slightly lower than stocks, but it is more stable, and the price risk fluctuation is relatively smaller. Generally, the price volatility in the stock market is about 2 to 3 times greater than in the bond market. However, some high-risk bonds, such as junk bonds, may have volatility levels closer to the stock market.
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Other Four Factors Affecting Bond Returns
Whether investing in a single bond or a portfolio of bonds, aside from default risk, the following factors also influence bond returns:
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What Factors Influence Bond Returns?
Any investment takes risks, and higher risks typically correlate with higher returns. However, when investing in bonds, one should avoid taking unnecessary risks as much as possible.
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Who is Suitable for Investing in Bonds?
1. Different entities have different purposes for investing in bonds: Financial Institutions vs Individuals.Financial institutions and individuals, these two different types of entities, have different purposes for investing in bonds.
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Introduction to Low-Risk Individual Bonds
For beginners, it is advisable to familiarize themselves with three types of bonds: U.S. Treasuries, investment-grade bonds, and emerging market bonds.Previously, we mentioned that individual bonds have high purchasing costs, making them less suitable for beginner investors. Next, we will delve into bond ETFs to explain this point.
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Common Q&A
Q1: Should buy bonds when the stock market is in a bull market (when prices are very high)?One opinion is that bonds are not worth considering because their long-term returns are lower than stocks. Is this opinion correct?
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